4C: Festivals Flashcards
Advent
the four weeks leading up to Christmas in the Western church
Gaudete Sunday
third Sunday of advent
Parousia
Second coming of Christ
Saturnalia
ancient Roman mid winter festival in honour of the god Saturn
The Nativity Fast
what corresponds to Advent in the Eastern Orthodox Church
What is the word ‘Christmas’ derived from?
“Christ’s mass”
What is Christmas
the celebration of the birth of Jesus
When is Christmas celebrated in the Western Church?
25 December
Why was 25th December chose as the date for Christmas?
to replace the Roman winter Saturnalia (honours the God Saturn, 17-23 December) and also the Roman winter solstice festival Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the ‘birthday of the unconquered Son’)
What are some symbols associated with Christmas that are Pagan in origin?
- lighting candles: anticipates return of sunlight
- cutting of evergreen trees for decoration: illustrates triumph of life over darkness and death
What are the 4 weeks of preparation for Christmas known as?
Advent (derived from Latin adventus meaning ‘coming’)
What two events does Advent allow Christians to anticipate?
- celebration of Jesus’ first coming to earth as a baby boy
- Jesus’ second coming at the end of time: known as parousia
What is the liturgical colour for the Western church?
violent or purple
What is Gaudete Sunday?
the third Sunday of Advent where a rose colour may be used as the liturgical colour
What do Western Advent customs include?
- advent wreath
- advent calendar
- decorations
- expectation of fast has been relaxed
- 17-23 Dec: O Antiphons sang at prayer each day
Explain the advent wreath
- usually kept in Church
- has 4 candles: 3 purple and one rose (represents each Sunday)
- Candle 1 = hope
- Candle 2 = prophets
- Candle 3 = joy
- Candle 4 = annunciation (angel candle)
- Candle 5 (Christ candle) = lit during Christmas Eve service
Explain the advent calendar
- first used by German Lutherans in 19th and 20th century
- special calendar for each day of December up to Christmas Eve
- each day a window can be opened which reveals an item relevant to the preparation for Christmas: eg a Biblical verse, poem, prayer or small gift
Explain ‘O Antiphons’
- sang at prayer 17-23 December
- each antiphon calls upon one of the attributes of Jesus mentioned in the Bible
- forms the basis for the popular Advent ‘O come, O come Emmanuel’
What is Plygain?
a Welsh tradition
- comes from Latin word ‘pulli cantio’ (meaning cockcrow)
- originally a carol service held between 3am-6am Christmas morning: involved groups of men singing carols in the old metres to await Eucharist at daybreak
- in modern day it is held on any weekday evening from the Feast of St Thomas (21 December) to Old New Year’s day (13 January). women are allowed to sing now
What is Christingle?
- Scandinavian word meaning ‘light of Christ’
- an orange with four cocktail sticks bearing fruits/sweets inserted into it
- a red ribbon around the orange with a small candle on top, lit during services: represents the world
- cocktail sticks represent the 4 corners of the Earth/the 4 seasons
- sweets/fruit represent fruits of the Earth
- light of the candle represents Jesus, the light of the world
- ## red ribbon represents his saving blood
When are the 3 Eucharists at Christmas?
- 1: at midnight Christmas Eve
- 2: at dawn Christmas morning
- 3: during Christmas day
How do Western Christians often spend Chiristmas?
- feasting
- exchanging gifts with family and friends
When is Christmas celebrated in the Eastern Church and why?
7 January
- because it corresponds to the old Julian calendar which predates the Gregorian calendar used in the West
What is the Eastern equivalent of Advent?
the Nativity Fast
How long does the Nativity Fast last?
40 days up to the Eve of Nativity
What does the Nativity Fast entail?
abstaining from red meat, poultry, egg, dairy products, fish, oil and wine
What is Paramony?
- a strict fast day held on the Eve of nativity
- no solid food should be eaten until the first star appears in the evening sky
What is the liturgical colour in the Eastern Church?
red. gold is the alternative
What is the Sunday of Forefathers?
- takes place 2 Sundays before Nativity
- commemorates ancestors of the Church
What is the Sunday of Holy Fathers?
- the Sunday before Nativity
- commemorated all righteous men and women who pleased God
When are most Christmas services held in the Eastern Church?
- the Eve of Nativity and they last all night; parallels the ones held on Good Friday
- illustrates the point that the purpose of the incarnation was to make the crucifixion and resurrection possible
What are the services held in Eastern Christmas?
- The Hours
- Vespers
- Liturgy of St Basil the Great
- The Vigil
- Matins
Explain the Hours
- special Psalms, hymns and Biblical readings prescribed for each hour
- proclaim the joy and power of Christ’s birth
Explain Vespers
- 8 Biblical readings which celebrate the incarnation and show that Christ is the fulfillment of all prophecies
Explain the Liturgy of St Basil the Great
in the past the baptismal liturgy at which catechumens were baptised and integrated into the body of Christ
Explain Matins
for the first time, the words ‘Christ is born’ are sung while the congregation venerates an icon of the Nativity
What does Christmas day usually involve in the Eastern church?
- feasting and enjoyment of the company of family and friends
- candles may be lit to represent the light of Christ
- festive Christmas meals to represent the end of fasting
- white linen on dinner table represents the cloth in which the baby Jesus was wrapped: straw may be placed upon it to symbolise the stable
What do different Eastern cultures do on Christmas?
- some walk to seas, rivers and lakes as a part of Christmas day liturgy and make holes in the frozen ice to bless the water
- little emphasis on sharing gifts and the consumerism that characterises Western Christmas
What does Easter celebrate?
the resurrection
Why do Eastern and Western churches disagree on when to celebrate Easter?
- they disagree on how the calculation of the date is interpreted
- they base the dates on different calendars; Western uses Gregorian, Orthodox uses Julian (which is older)
- they differ on the definition of the vernal equinox and the full moon
How does the Eastern church calculate the date of Easter?
- calculates it according to the actual, astronomical full moon and the actual equinox
- applies the formula so that Easter always falls AFTER the Jewish passover
since Jesus entered Jerusalem to celebrate passover
How does the Western church calculate the date of Easter?
- it uses a fixed date (21st March)
- doesn’t use the astronomically correct date for the vernal equinox
How long does lent last in the Western Church?
40 days to commemorate the days Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he began his public ministry
When does lent begin in the Western Church?
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
- comes from the custom of placing ashes made from palm branches blessed on Palm Sunday on the heads of recipients while urging them to repent of their sins
Why do some Christians fast or give up luxuries?
as a form of pentinence and self denial
What is the liturgical colour for lent in the Western church?
purple
What is the Service of the Stations of the Cross?
a devotional re-enactment of Christ’s passion
Laetare Sunday
- the fourth Sunday in lent
- the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday
- priests have the option of wearing rose coloured vestments instead of purple
Mothering Sunday
- the fourth Sunday
- recently become an occasion to honour mothers but originates from 16th century celebration of the mother church
Passion Sunday
- the fifth Sunday
- beginning of Passiontide
Palm Sunday
- sixth Sunday
- beginning of Holy Week
- final week of Lent
- commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion
Maundy Thursday
- Thursday of the Holy Week
- Christians commemorate the Last Supper
- priest may wash the feet of 12 members of the congregation to commemorate Jesus washing the feet of the disciples
Good Friday
- day of atonement
- Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial
- Roman Catholic Church treat it as a day of fast
- celebration of Passion of the Lord occurs at 3pm
- vestments used are red and black
- No celebration of the Eucharist between Maundy Thursday and the Easter vigil
- only sacrament celebrated is baptism (for those in danger of death), penance and anointing of the sick
How do Lutheran churches celebrate Lent?
- 3 liturgies of the Holy Tridium: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter vigil
- commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus
- Tenbrae service; consists of passion accounts from the 4 gospels
When is the Easter vigil usually held in the Western Church?
after nightfall on Holy Saturday or before dawn on Easter
What happens during the Easter vigil?
- a paschal candle, which symbolises the resurrection, is lit
- statues and images that may have been veiled during lent are unveiled
What is the liturgical colour for Easter in the Western church?
white or often gold
How are the churches usually decorated for Easter in the Western church?
- bright with white and yellow flowers
- joyful music and jubilant use of church bells
What is lent known as in the Eastern Church?
‘the Great Lent’ or ‘the Great Fast’
When does the first week of Lent start in the Eastern Church?
Clean Monday
What is Veneration of the Cross?
- third Sunday (midpoint of Great Fast)
- an all night vigil in which the priest brings out a cross to the centre of the church
What is Akathist Saturday?
- fifth Saturday
- dedicated to Theotokos (mother of God)
- a hymn to Mary is sung during Matins, with everyone standing
When does Great Lent end?
Vespers on the sixth Friday
What is Lazarus Saturday?
celebration of the resuscitation of Lazarus as a foreshadowing of the resurrection
When do Holy Week services begin?
the night of Palm Sunday
Holy and Great Monday
Joseph as a type of Christ: cursing the fig tree
Holy and Great Tuesday
Parable of the 10 Virgins
Holy and Great Wednesday
anointing of Jesus at Bethany
Holy and Great Thursday
- mystical supper
- most festive day of the week because it celebrates the institution of Eucharist
Holy and Great Friday
- Jesus’ passion
- strict fast day
- morning, afternoon and evening services
- evening services include lamination praises that reflect Mary’s lament for her son
- cloth icon to represent sheets Jesus was buried in; placed on an ornate bier to represent the tomb
- priest sprinkles the tomb with rose water and fresh rose petals
Holy and Great Saturday
- Jesus’ burial and descent to Hell
- strict fasting
- service combines sorrow and joy
- morning service; liturgical colour is black but changed to white before gospel reading
- atmosphere changes to joy
- priest sprinkles the church with bay leaves; symbolises Jesus’ victory over death
- good news of the resurrection will only be proclaimed during the Paschal Vigil
What is Midnight Office?
- the last liturgical service
- forms the first part of the Paschal Vigil
- priest places the cloth on the altar; remains there until the feast of the ascension
- at the end of the office, all lights and candles are extinguished
- all wait in silence and darkness for the stroke of midnight where the resurrection is proclaimed
- priest lights a candle at midnight along with candles held by assistants, who in turn light candles held by the congregation
- procession halts in front of doors of closed church: priest makes sign of cross and all church bells and percussion instruments are sounded
- Easter matin begins, followed by Easter Hours and divine liturgy
Why are hard boiled eggs cracked open during Easter procession?
they are dyed red so it symbolises the blood of Christ and celebrates the opening of the tomb
What is ‘Easter Week’ also known as?
Bright Week
What does Easter week consist of?
- no fasting
- the customary greeting is “Christ is risen” and the response is “He is risen indeed”
Differences between celebrations of Easter in the Western and Eastern Church
- Eastern insists Easter should fall AFTER Jewish passover
- Lent: starts Clean Monday for Eastern and Ash Wednesday for Western
- Eastern has more emphasis on fasting
- Eastern has Veneration of the Cross, Western has Laetare/Mothering Sunday
- Eastern has different theme for each week of Holy Week, Western only celebrates Maundy Thurs, Good Fri and Holy Sat
- Main Easter celebration; Eastern is all night service, Western is on Easter Day
Similarities between celebrations of Easter in the Western and Eastern Church
- Both consider easter the most important festival and prepare for it joyously
- Both see Good Friday as austere with Lent as preparation and hold the death and resurrection as equally central
Reasons to suggest Easter is more important that Christmas
- there is no hope of eternal life without the resurrection
- it is an opportunity for evangelisation due to the secularisation
- Easter is about Jesus’ ultimate mission
- Christmas would be insignificant without Easter: it would just be about the birth of a good teacher
- Easter celebrates fundamental belief in resurrection
Reasons to suggest Christmas is more important than Easter
- without the resurrection there would be no incarnation
- Christmas is open to several interpretations
- it is an opportunity for evangelisation due to the secularisation
- Christmas is more joyful and popular
- celebrates the birth of Christ (incarnation)
Reasons why Christmas and Easter are equally as important
- both show God breaking into his world, first as an innocent infant through incarnation, then as a mighty power raising the dead Jesus to life
- the resurrection guarantees that God has accepted Jesus’ death as an acceptable atonement for human sin
